Sweet Disposition
by Dispatch22705
Summary: A series of 8 unrelated one shots featuring B&B of course. A moment, a love, a dream, a laugh, a kiss, a cry, our rights, our wrongs. Hope you like them!
1. A Moment

**Okay, here is another group of one shots. It's not based on the song Sweet Disposition, but every chapter follows a phrase from the chorus, starting with here...a moment.**

**After watching the 100th episode, I was desperate for more information on what happened between B&B in the year between the Arrington and Eller cases, if anything. To keep it in canon, B&B won't have sex with one another in this story, but I hope it still feels like something that COULD have happened. Let me know what you think! To be clear, I think Brennan said something like it was over a year since they could stand to be in the same room with one another? I don't know if that means they never saw each other, or if they bickered. Mmmmmm...yes!**

**-b&b-**

"Why are we here again?" Brennan's eyebrows rose as she scanned the thumping, humping, massively crushed crowd of dancers in the frantic club.

Angela rolled her eyes and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to the bar. "Because, I'm lonely, it's Friday, Peter's an asshole, and…" she trailed off and looked the sexy bartender up and down. "And because of that guy."

Brennan followed Angela's line of sight and conceded with a small nod. "His frame is quite impressive, indicating he's most likely also endowed with a large penis."

"Hands, sweetie. How many times do I have to tell you? It's the _hands _that tell you." Angela smirked and motioned the man over from the other side of the bar. She winked at him. "Two Amaretto sours. And two for her, too," she added with a thumb in Brennan's direction. The bartender smiled at her and began making their drinks. Angela turned toward Brennan and saw her eyeing the bartender's hands. She laughed and Brennan looked up quickly, then smiled, realizing she'd been caught.

They perched on barstools and scanned the crowd. "When _are_ you going to finally dump Peter, Bren?"

Brennan frowned and looked down to her drink. "I see no need."

"No need?" Angela tilted her head to the side with a sad smile. "Sweetie, listen to me. That guy…he does not get you."

"Get me?" Brennan interrupted. "I don't know what that means. Besides, I make a good income on my own. I don't need him to get me anything."

"No…" Angela laughed. "Not get you _things_…he just…he doesn't understand you. He doesn't _get _you."

"Peter IS very intelligent," Brennan countered. "He's a physicist. Though he's not as smart as I am, there is little he doesn't understand. I still don't know what you mean, Angela. What's to understand?"

Angela pursed her lips as she considered her answer. "Okay…I mean…does he know your favorite flower? Does he know what kind of beer you like? Does he even know where you are now?"

"How is that important?"

"Because. Brennan…look," Angela pleaded. "I know you said Peter is 'highly satisfactory' in bed, and believe me…" her eyes re-scanned the crowd, scoping out a potential hook-up. "Believe me, I'm happy for you," she groused. "But…don't you ever feel like it's not enough? Like maybe there's something more?"

Brennan bristled. "I don't have time for more. My work and my writing keep me incredibly busy. You of all people should understand that."

Angela sighed and sipped her drink. "I do. I definitely do."

"And on top of that, I've been asked to go to Guatemala to identify remains."

"Oh," Angela looked at her in surprise. "Are you going to go?"

Brennan shrugged a shoulder and sipped her own drink. "I'm strongly considering it. It would be informative for me and of course highly beneficial for them."

"Oh yeah," Angela smirked. "_Of course_."

She turned back to the bar to set her drink on her napkin and then paused. "Hey, isn't that Agent Booth?"

Brennan's body stiffened and she immediately looked down to her drink. "Who?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Angela whirled to face her in surprise. "What? Who? Brennan…it's Booth. You _know_ who he is. Please…do not even start that."

Brennan swallowed, but didn't comment. She looked up from her drink toward where Angela had been looking. And sure enough…

There he was.

_**-b&b-**_

"You got him in your sights?" Booth heard in the small earpiece.

"Yep," he murmured, running his thumb and index finger up and down his nearly full beer bottle. Anyone watching _him_ would know he hadn't taken more than two sips. But he was the one doing the surveillance. He was the one reporting to the team of agents just outside the club. Tonight was just for research purposes, and it had been awhile since he'd done this kind of thing. In the past six months since he'd opened and closed the Arrington case, he'd had more high profile work. But a couple of the guys from the fraud department had gotten injured in the intramural flag football championship game, and Cullen had asked if he'd help round out this unit for the weekend. Tessa had been pissed about it. But Booth was starting to wonder if there would ever be a time when she _wasn't_ pissed about his work. And yeah, he admitted, it _was_ Friday night, but still…it's not like she'd never cancelled a date because she'd been working on a big case.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He knew it was time he committed to Tessa. After all, she was smart, nice enough, and fit him pretty damn well in his bed. And he was fucking tired of the dating game anyways. Pops didn't exactly approve (_A corporate lawyer, Shrimp? I don't think so._), but what the hell did he know about dating in the new millennium anyways? Booth grimaced. If there was an answer to that question, he didn't want to know it. He took a sip of his now warm beer and watched the club floor. His only job was to stay in the club and keep an eye on their target. Watch who he talked to, what he drank and which girls in the club seemed to approach him. There was suspicion of under-age prostitution, and the FBI had decided the best way to get justice was to go in through the money. It almost always talked.

As he scanned the room again, his shoulders tensed. Immediately, he sat up in his seat, his body automatically leaning forward to make sure he wasn't just seeing things.

But it was true…

There she was.

**-b&b—**

Brennan felt more than saw Angela lean closer to her. "Whatever happened between you two, anyways?" the artist asked.

Brennan blinked and then looked toward her friend. "What do you mean? Nothing happened between us. I mean, we worked together. On the case. And that was it."

Angela snorted. "Yeah right. I mean, I'm an artist, so yeah, hello, I've been around some moody people. But you, pal, you are not moody. And one day, you had the biggest smile on your face, and then it seemed like the next day…" Angela eyed her. "Well, you didn't smile as much, that's for sure."

"I told you," Brennan forced herself to look toward the nearest wall. "My services were no longer needed by the FBI, and therefore I ceased my communication with them, including my ties Agent Booth."

"I'd like to have ties with him," Angela murmured. "More like _use _ties with him…"

Brennan felt Angela looking at her for a response, and she masked her feelings. But the truth was that she felt a riot of sensation inside her body. It was amazing to her how the human body reacted to sights and thoughts and past feelings. And seeing Booth again made her feel warm and angry, but also intrigued and aroused. Her lips tingled and her palms felt empty as she immediately remembered the way he tasted and felt under her touch.

For the first month after they'd worked together, she'd thought about him more than she'd ever thought of any other person outside her family. She'd wake up and think of him. She'd force him away from her mind as she went to work, where for the most part, she stayed busy enough to keep her thoughts at bay. But when she was alone at night, _and_ _sometimes when she wasn't_…she thought of him. Their final words to one another still stung, and pride caused her to lift her chin and look back to where she'd seen him sitting. But she blinked when she realized he wasn't there anymore.

**-b&b—**

Booth shifted in his seat, trying to force his eyes away from her. He was here for work, and yeah, it was a pretty easy assignment, but he really didn't need a distraction right now. Especially not her, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Dr. Temperance Brennan of the damn Jeffersonian Institute, and Dr. Temperance Brennan of his damn dreams.

She was just as pretty as he remembered. There had been a part of him in the six months since he'd last seen her that had figured he was just imagining his gut reaction to her. But now, seeing her again, it brought it all back in full force. Pale skin, long neck, straight posture, slim body, mile-long legs. Unlike her normal attire though, tonight she was in all black. Strapless, mid-thigh length dress, high heels. Son of a bitch.

He saw her friend Angela with her and noticed her attire as well. A streak of curiosity and protective jealousy raced through his blood at the thought of Brennan on the prowl.

"Booth…Booth!" he heard in his earpiece, and he blinked.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Johnson's gone. Come outside and we'll debrief."

Steeling his jaw and laying a five on the table, he got up and walked outside the bar.

**-b&b—**

Brennan felt awkward and almost itchy. She looked around the room and then back to Angela, noticing her flirting with the bartender again. Brennan knew enough of human sexual interaction to know that it was highly likely Angela was going to have sex with that man tonight.

A thrum echoed low in her belly at the thought of intercourse. Her entire body felt like it was on alert, but also empty. It was the same feeling she'd felt when thinking of Booth.

_Irrational_, she chided herself, watching Angela for a few more moments. Scanning the crowded room, she grew impatient. Even the normally fascinating study of human interaction wasn't satisfying to her tonight.

She grabbed her small purse and nudged Angela on the arm. "Ange, I think I'm going to go home."

"What?" Angela barely spared her a glance. "What? No. Sweetie…don't go…" Her eyes pleaded for Brennan to stay, but Brennan shook her head.

"No, I have a slight headache, and you seem to no longer need my presence as your wingedperson, so I'm going to leave."

"Uh, wingman, Bren," Angela corrected with a somewhat chagrined look toward the bartender. Brennan missed all of that and stood up from the barstool.

"I'll see you on Monday, Angela. Okay?"

Angela nodded and sighed. "Okay, see you on Monday."

Brennan didn't look back as she made her way to the club exit through the crowded room. She heard a few sexual propositions, but was not interested in refusing or accepting them verbally. She made it almost to the door before the strap of her high heel slipped off the back of her foot. After pausing to fix it, she didn't look up as she continued to walk to the door, and she was forced to a stop when she collided with another person.

"Hey, Bones," Booth sneered.

An amalgamation of unidentifiable emotions rose up inside of her, and she narrowed her eyes. "_Don't_ call me Bones."

-**b&b—**

Oh yeah, _just_ as fucking pretty.

Booth felt that right to his gut as his eyes moved quickly over her from head to toe. "Fancy meeting you here. What are the odds, right?"

She shrugged a perfect and bare shoulder and her chin lifted just a fraction higher. "The odds are probably smaller than you think. We do both live in the same town. Apparently this is a highly popular place for young and attractive professionals to come to seek out sexual partners."

Okay, just as fucking literal too.

For some reason, that affected him as much as the color of her eyes. "I'm sure explaining it like that is getting you a lot of success." Booth heard the sharp edge to his tone, and he winced internally. What _was_ it about her that stripped away his manners and general respect?

"I am very successful," she replied, completely missing his point. He shook his head to himself and then noticed the way Angela still hadn't left the bar.

"Are you leaving?" he asked Brennan, turning back toward her and realizing that for some reason, she was looking at his hands. He shoved them into his pockets and she looked up and met his eyes.

"Yes," she replied. "Are you?"

What kind of question was that? His brain felt scrambled as images of leaving with her and going…_wherever the hell she wanted to go_...rocked through his mind.

"No," he blinked and focused. "I'm working."

Immediately her blue eyes flickered with interest and curiosity. "A case?"

It almost felt like whiplash, how fast her mind worked, and he chuckled humorlessly. "Oh no, you don't get to know anything about that."

Her brow furrowed, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why not? I am very intelligent."

"Yeah," Booth agreed. "But…"

His words were cut off when a crowd of people shoved behind him through the door. He was pushed forward, and into Brennan. His arms went around her immediately and they were both pushed until a wall stopped their movement. Once he actually realized what had happened, it was too late to control his body. His hips were pinned against hers, and he was sure she could feel his erection pressing against her. _Damn it._

But her hands were clutching his shoulders, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. And he knew he wasn't the only one affected by their forced proximity.

"You," he stepped back quickly and tried to get himself under control. He steeled himself against the image she presented in front of him and the memory of just how freaking perfectly they'd fit against one another and pressed his hands to his hips. The closeness only brought back the sting of rejection he'd felt after their big fight, and he clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth against the incredible onslaught of emotion. Fury, desperation, embarrassment, desire. "You don't work for the FBI. I do. We don't need your help. And even if we _did_, we wouldn't ask you for it."

Her eyes flashed and she pushed off the wall to stand right in front of him. He could smell her perfume and practically salivated at the scent. Her lips were full and red and he wanted them against his. "Even if you did ask me," she snarled, and he had to clench his hands to his sides to keep from pressing her back up against the wall. "Even if you did, I wouldn't help you."

"Fine" Booth barked back. "Good."

"Good_bye_," Brennan shoved past him, walking toward the exit.

And Booth stared at her back as he watched her walk out the door.

**-b&b—**

Brennan stood under the pounding spray of her shower, trying to force her emotions and thoughts into rational categories. _Damn it._

She'd never experienced sexual desire for another man like she did with Booth. Her eyes fell shut, and she leaned against her warm shower wall as she remembered the way he'd looked her over from head to toe. She imagined the way he'd felt, pressed against her, so hot and hard. Her hands swept over her arms and stomach and up to cup her breasts, trying to regain the sensation of his hard body. It wasn't even close to the same, but a stroke of her thumbs over her nipples, and in her mind, she could instantly see him, feel him…_want him_.

If he'd kissed her, if he'd have pulled her into his arms, if he'd have asked her to come home with him, this time she would have.

"Yes," she gasped into the warm and mist-enclosed space, answering the question she was never asked. If she closed her eyes tight enough, she could imagine him on his knees, gently parting her thighs. With a groan, she grabbed for her handheld showerhead and hooked it into the lower wired soap dish at waist level. The angle was perfect, and she could press her clit against it while still rubbing her hands all over her skin. As the water from above ran down her back and the water from below pressed against her, she pressed her hands to the wall for a moment to gain her bearings. "Booth…"

His name tripped off her lips and she closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against one arm against the shower wall. Her other hand traced over her belly and hips, and Brennan's mind immediately went back to Booth's hands.

She hadn't really paid much attention to them before, but now she could hardly think of anything else. Long fingers inside of her. Warm palms cupping her breasts. Tattooed wrists for her to kiss and lick at. And if the size of his hands was any indication, as Angela was so confident, it was likely Booth's penis was long and thick. Brennan's knees buckled at the thought, and she thrust down onto the shower head, trying to get some relief.

Booth would cup her ass in his large hands, as his penis slid in and out of her. Despite hardly knowing him, she was convinced they would be compatible. He'd kiss her lips or maybe her nipples, sucking her hard then covering her with soft licks.

"Ah!" Her eyes flew open at the sound of her own voice and she stared at the shower wall, nearly going blind at the pleasure ricocheting all over her body. "Oh, yes. So hard," she gasped. "Mmmmm…"

She fell backward against the shower wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. Her body hummed with the aftershocks of one of the hardest orgasm she'd had in weeks. That she'd had it on her own wasn't lost on her.

The water falling around her was cooling, and she shivered, sighing as she stood to her feet. Turning off the water with one hand, she reached with the other to grab a towel from the rack.

Her body was satisfied yet still felt empty. She tried not to dwell on that fact and instead dried her hair before quickly pulling on a comfortable pair of jeans and a sweater. She grabbed her phone and smiled at the picture text Angela had sent her, knowing her friend would likely have a story for her on Monday morning.

Looking around her apartment, she decided to keep working on her novel. If she could finish the final chapter, her editor suggested it would be sent for a quick printing.

An hour later, she heard the front door of her apartment open, and Peter walked in, tossing his work bag on the couch.

"Can you not put that there?" she asked him, for the fifth time that week.

He rolled his eyes and walked past her without saying anything. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and then pressed a kiss against the back of her neck. Brennan flinched and felt uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he sat across from her. Her eyes narrowed on his untied sneakers and then snapped back to his face.

"Working on my book."

He laughed. "Look, Tempe, I still don't understand why you're doing that. You're not a writer. You're a scientist."

Brennan flushed. "I can be both. You know my IQ." Her tone was icy, and at that moment, she realized what Angela had meant about 'getting' someone.

"And…" she continued. "I am going to Guatemala for awhile." Decision made.

"And…" she repeated. "I think we should break up."

She wasn't sure if it was the right decision or not, but it felt right.

**-b&b—**

"See ya, Booth," Betty saluted him. Booth forced a smile and handed her the earpiece he'd used.

"Betty," he clicked his teeth against his tongue. "When are you going to wise up and leave the fraud department and come join the awesome homicide department."

The receptionist just laughed at him and waved him away. "Then who would you come visit?"

Booth conceded that with a nod and waved as he walked outside. His body felt tense and uncomfortable. That wasn't too unusual after a stakeout, or any kind of mission. But he knew that those things were only about 50% percent of what he was feeling. The rest could all be associated with his run in with the infuriating and tempting Dr. Brennan.

As he got into his SUV, he shook his head. There had been a time when he'd promised himself that the next time he saw her, he was going to apologize to her. And there had been a time when he'd promised himself that the next time he saw her, he was going to kiss her. And a lot more.

So the reality that they'd faced off again, both physically and verbally…it gave him a headache. What hurt the most was that everything he'd felt the exact moment he'd seen her for the first time…that was all back. That was all still real. He hadn't imagined any of it. Any happiness he might have felt about that was subdued by the fact that as strongly as he felt the pull of fate toward her, the obvious reality was that they were more than likely to murder one another than ever care for one another.

He was tempted to just go back to the club and drink himself stupid. But he knew that would just make him feel worse in the morning.

He drove through the city for awhile, trying to organize his thoughts. About halfway to his apartment, his phone rang, and he quickly picked it up. "Booth."

"Hey…"

"Tessa," he glanced at the clock. "Hey…where are you?"

"At the store. Near my apartment, though. Want to come over?"

The tension he felt from the evening settled in his back and he rolled his shoulders. "Sure…yeah," he choked out the words. "Yes, I'll be over." Decision made.

Tessa chuckled, and Booth felt a little bit better. "You know, if you'd actually taken my spare key like I told you to, you wouldn't have to wait in my driveway."

Booth turned onto Tessa's street. "I know. I'll take it this time. I promise."

"Okay. I'm in line. I'll see you soon."

Booth said goodbye and closed his phone.

He knew it was the right decision to make, even if it didn't exactly feel right.

**-b&b—**

**To find out what happens next…watch the Pilot episode! :)**


	2. A Love

**I hope you like this one! It's sweeter, I think. And it's about love, as the title suggests! :)**

**-b&b- **

_Just…one random morning…_

"Hey, Bones," Booth nodded in her direction, leaning toward her and taking her bag as she got into the passenger seat of the SUV. He placed her bag in the backseat, "Do you think we have time to stop for coffee? I could really use some, but with this rain…"

Brennan closed the passenger door and smoothed back the hood to her rain jacket. "No need, Booth," she explained. With a simple smile, she handed him a travel mug. "I made some this morning, anticipating that we might be rushed."

Booth blinked but then took the proffered container, taking a quick sip. "Gold Coast Blend. My favorite."

Brennan gave a quick nod, already reaching back for her bag, pulling out the files they'd worked with the night before. "I know."

That was all she said, and Booth spared her another glance before pulling into traffic.

Then, hours later at the crime scene, he cursed the continually pouring rain as he held an umbrella over himself and his partner.

"Damn it," he hissed under his breath, his shoe squishing in mud.

"What's the matter, Booth?" Brennan asked him, standing from her crouched position near the dampened remains.

Booth watched as she stretched her back. "Nothing, Bones. I just dropped my pen around here, I guess."

Without saying a word, she reached into her evidence kit and pulled out another pen for him.

Booth held it in his hand for a second as he watched her kneel back over the skeleton. "Thanks, Bones."

She only nodded once, already moving back to her task. Booth looked down and noticed it was his favorite kind of pen.

Blue. Bic. Medium point.

"Booth," she was asking. "Can you move the umbrella a bit to the left?"

He blinked out of his thoughts and moved to the left, trying not to notice how wet his socks were getting.

**-B&B-**

"Booth," Brennan opened up a couple of files on the diner table that night, even as she reached across and took one of Booth's fries.

He watched her carefully as she dipped it into the honey mustard he never used and noticed she never looked up.

"What's that?" he asked her, hiding a smile when she looked at him in mild reproach.

"I said," she tilted her head to the side, her small smile the only thing that didn't make him feel like a misbehaving 7th grader. "I said, doesn't it make sense to question the sensei again, seeing as how we now know that the victim suffered fractures."

Booth shrugged a shoulder and leaned back in his chair, resting his arm on the chair next to him. "I suppose. But how much do you think he'll actually tell us?"

Now it was her turn to shrug as she took another fry and turned the page in the file folder. "That's your department."

Booth could not take his eyes off of her. She didn't look different from any other time they'd had dinner together. But for some reason, the everyday-life feel to it all was hitting him hard. He felt like a balloon of 'too good to be true' was expanding in his chest. And it was more painful than any heartbreak he'd ever had.

"Booth…Booth…Booth!"

He blinked when he realized he'd been staring at her. Brennan leaned forward an inch.

"Is there something wrong, Booth? Is something wrong with your sandwich? You've hardly touched it."

"No," he smoothed a hand over his chest and picked up his burger. "Nothing's wrong, Bones. I was just…thinking, I guess."

"About the case?" she asked, and he bit the inside of his cheek as a lie escaped his lips.

"Yep. The case," was all he said.

But she accepted that too, just as casual as she'd been when she'd handed him his favorite coffee in the morning. His thoughts swirled in his mind as he tried not to stare at her. He managed to keep himself in check until he drove her home, but as he pulled into her driveway, she surprised him with a question.

"Booth, is something on your mind?" she asked.

"Hmmm, what?" Booth spared her a glance and noticed now she was staring at him.

Her eyes grew confused and narrowed. "I don't think you've heard a word I've said on this trip."

It wasn't nagging; she was only stating a fact. "Is something bothering you? You're not usually distracted."

Booth almost laughed at the irony. He _was_ distracted. Completely set off course by the mundane of their partnership. How was he supposed to tell her "nothing and everything" in a way she would understand?

He opened his mouth to tell her everything was fine when he felt a soft hand on his arm.

Looking over quickly, he saw her eyes now wide with concern and care. "What is it, Booth?" she asked.

His chest felt too tight and he sighed, resting his wrist against the steering wheel as casually as possible.

"Bones…" he began softly, running his fingertips against the fabric of the console. "Okay, yeah. I've got something on my mind. You might not like it, but…

"I'm your partner, Booth," she interrupted, her hand still on his arm. "You can tell me anything."

Booth stared through the windshield as he tried to put words to everything he'd been feeling that day. Knowing with her it was best to say it as clearly as possible, he pulled in a breath. "I'm wondering what makes you think you couldn't love me."

A sharp gasp rose from her throat, and Brennan took her hand back, but he didn't look over to her. "I mean… what do you think it means to love someone?"

He looked at her then, almost afraid to see a stricken look on her face. To her credit, she appeared mostly calm.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I suppose it would involve sharing mostly everything as well as taking care of each other's needs."

Booth swallowed and nodded. "Yeah." He bit his bottom lip, hoping he wasn't overstepping. "You know…"

He cleared his throat around the words, knowing this was his last shot. He hadn't even realized he'd _planned_ on another shot. But he knew that if she turned him down now, he really would have to move on. "You know, Bones, you do that already. For me. We share a lot." He stared at her, hoping she understand what he meant. "You know my favorite coffee, and you make it for me. You know my favorite pen, and you have a spare one."

He swallowed hard, feeling like most of the air in the SUV was being absorbed by tension. "Bones, you eat my fries. And I don't even _like_ honey mustard." His words were coming out fast now, "But I order it for you, because…"

She'd stared at him the entire time he'd spoken, showing nothing with her expression, pale and luminous.

Booth flushed and shifted in his seat. "I mean, do you not _want_ me?" A small part of him supposed it was possible, but almost every nerve in his body rebelled at the idea. His body couldn't bear the thought that he was the only one who felt the strong tug of desire. With an ounce of self-control, he looked away. "You say you can't change, but the reality is that I don't want you to change. You make me happy as a partner and a friend and as a man. And maybe you don't want to hear this, but to me, that's love. Caring for someone more than you care for anyone else. And whatever level that is. That's love. And…" he looked at her once more. "And I think we've got that." Facing the windshield again, he swallowed and shrugged a shoulder. "To me, Bones. I think we're already together."

It was what he should have said a long time ago, what he should have relied on. "Bones, I can't imagine my life without you in it. I think…I think we have a great life together, and I want that. I just…I want a life with you. Whatever it looks like."

He waited a couple of seconds, but when there was no reply one way or the other, he tried to smile. "Just…promise me you'll think about it. Please."

He watched as she opened up her door and pulled her bag with her. Just as she was about to close the door, she met his eyes. "I'll think about it. I promise." And he watched as she walked up to her apartment and walked inside.

**-b&b-**

He sat outside her apartment for a few moments, analyzing the way he felt lighter, as if his admission had removed a solid weight from his chest. And a part of him realized that even if she never said anything about it, even if she never returned his love, he could be okay with that. He would be…okay.

His honest approach with her was half the battle. And he knew it was important to allow himself the respect of his feelings. He wasn't going to wallow.

"No way," he interrupted his own thoughts as he pulled into the grocery store parking lot. "Seeley Booth does not wallow". Rolling his shoulders back, he whistled lightly, ignoring the soft rain that feel on him as he jogged into the store.

Walking around, he grabbed a gallon of milk and some ice cream before tossing some beer in his cart. He followed that up with a box of spaghetti and then grabbed a few tomatoes for some sauce. If they didn't get an immediate lead on their case in the morning, he'd have a few hours to maybe do some cooking.

His mind was on his plans with Parker as he drove the rest of the way to his apartment. And he had to practically slam on his brakes when as he pulled into his driveway, his partner was standing right in his way.

"Bones," he murmured to himself, and as he put the SUV in park, she moved to his door, knocking on his window.

His mind was fogged, and though he should have just taken off his seatbelt and opened his door, all he managed to do was roll down his window. He grabbed an old file folder from the passenger seat and held it out over her head."Um, hey, Bones."

Brennan moved forward, raising up on her toes and pulling his face toward hers, pressing her lips against his. Booth flinched and his eyes closed automatically before springing open in shock. "Bones," he gasped and groaned when her soft hands continued to caress him. He felt moisture between them and wondered if she was crying or if it was just rain. When she pulled back to rest her forehead against his, he took a deep breath. "Bones?"

She bit her bottom lip, so close to his, and he felt his entire being warm.

"I think I do love you, Booth," she admitted.

His eyebrows rose and he pulled back. "I thought you were going to think about it," As he opened his door, he rolled the window back up, and Brennan kept her gaze on his face.

"I'm a very quick thinker."

Before he could move from his seat, she'd moved into the SUV. "Bones!" he was shocked into surprise and he stared at her before having the presence of mind to move the seat backward. With their combined weight, the lever gave quickly and they both started as the seat shifted back several inches.

Booth's brow furrowed as he stared at Brennan and the way she was now on his lap. "Quick thinker," he repeated, trying to catch up with what was happening right in front of his face.

"Yes," she swallowed, nervous energy in her voice. "And also…you presented some very compelling evidence." She was quiet for a moment. "And I have my own evidence as well, and I believe you may be correct. I do believe I love you."

His eyes searched her face as his mind felt like it had been smothered in slow moving syrup. He could hear the sound of the rain on the windshield, could feel her body against his and he knew, somehow, he should say something. "Bones, I…it's not enough for you to just believe what I say, you have to…" his throat closed up for a second, and he cleared it. "You have to know it, and you have to believe it for yourself. If…if you're in love with me." His breath left him in a rush as he realized she hadn't actually said she was in love with him. He knew that loving him was one thing and being in love was something different. He believed she loved him and there were some days when he thought that would be enough, that he'd be able to talk her into letting him be in love with her. But he'd always known that she'd never go for it, not for herself, but for him. Ironically, she was one of his biggest supporters in finding happiness.

He licked his bottom lip as the silence continued to grow around them. His hand had somehow found its way to her leg, and he felt her from hips to shoulders. Then her fingers were brushing his cheek, so light he almost missed it.

"Are you in love with me?" she asked, fingers brushing lightly against his shoulder. Her eyes were wide and wondering, and they were cocooned in a web of soft streetlight and warmth from the vents and their proximity. "You've never said, and…"

"Yes," he rasped out, realizing she was right. "Bones, I…I'm _in love_ with you."

Brennan kissed his cheek before moving to kiss his lips, so soft and tender. "I'm in love with you too, Booth," she murmured, placing a soft kiss on his cheek again.

A soft laugh escaped his lips; he was unable to keep the happiness from his heart from spilling over.

She pulled back and looked at him, her eyes searching his face now.

They'd kissed when they'd first met, caught up in feelings and desire. And she'd kissed him under some mistletoe. And he'd kissed her once to prove a point. But now, as he leaned forward and gently touched her lips with his, it was a new kind of kiss. The kind of kiss that could have happened between them a hundred other times, but was actually happening now. An expression of love for no other reason than because they were together and in love. Simple as that. And it lasted a long time as they kissed each other over and over.

It wasn't until Booth felt a slight chill on his chest that he realized she'd begun to unbutton his shirt.

"Whoa," he huffed and his hands automatically landed on her hips. "Bones, are you-"

His words fell away as Brennan began trailing soft kisses over his chest and shoulders. His eyes rolled back in his head when she nuzzled her nose under the skin of his ear. So soft, so gentle.

"Wait," he gasped, even as his fingers traced up and down her back. "Bones, we can go inside."

She murmured her disapproval and continued to kiss him, working her own hands between them to work at their pants. "I'm fine where I am," she answered, running the backs of her knuckles against his bare stomach.

Booth sucked in a sharp breath. "Well, yeah, but I mean, we might be more comfortable."

She met his eyes then and gave him the same look she did when she was waiting for him to come to a conclusion. Open and patient blue eyes stared back at him. "I find I'm quite comfortable,"

Booth blinked and couldn't reply except to lean forward and tug at the bottom of her sweater, pulling it up and over her head. He kissed her lips as her arms lifted up. Then his hands were on her bare skin and he couldn't stop the harsh groan that escaped his lips. She was so soft to his touch, so sweet under his lips. He'd dreamed of her in a hundred different scenarios, and he was finding the reality was so much better than fantasy. But in the back of his mind, he realized he was making love with her in the front seat of the SUV, and a small part of him rebelled at the thought.

"Wait," he cupped her face in his palm. "You…I mean, it's our first time, and…you deserve better, Bones."

Brennan stilled her hands against his skin and then looked into his eyes. "Better than you? I don't see the likelihood of that possibility. " Her words were soft and squinty and perfect, and they warmed his heart. Knowing she understood his feelings, he let go of his concern and pulled her closer, kissing her hard for the first time that night. She replied and moaned, the sound so tempting to him. Their legs and arms tangled and Booth reached with one hand to the side of his seat. He fumbled till he found the latch and then in a burst of movement, he was flatter on his back and Brennan was over him, staring down at him with wide eyes and parted lips.

A smile crossed over Booth's lips, with building confidence and acceptance. Brennan matched his expression and then they were on each other in a desperate move to be closer. Booth's neck tensed and he let out a soft roar when Brennan's hand snuck inside his boxers and her cool palm found him hard and hot for her.

She practically purred as she stroked him, and Booth stared at her, unbelievably turned on by her desire for him. When he saw her own hand begin to work at her own pants, he moved into action. He batted her hand away from her waist and couldn't help but arch his hips up into her touch as he shoved her pants down her hips. A small scrap of green silk met his fingertips and then she cried out and rocked back so hard Booth had to lean forward and place his hand on her head to keep it from hitting the steering wheel. They were caught in a maelstrom of desire and mutual trust and affection.

"Don't mess around, Booth," Brennan begged, and he nodded, skimming his fingertip under the seam of her underwear. Her hand began to pump him harder and he let loose a mottled groan as he hooked his thumbs in her panties and moved them down her hips. It took some finagling but then she was over him, staring into his eyes as she slid down his erect penis. And it was his favorite coffee and working together and sharing fries and a thousand other moments rolled up into one combined with a million more good things to feel her finally wrapped all around him.

"You feel so good, Booth," she panted into his neck, and Booth had enough fortitude to smile that they were still on the same wavelength.

"Yeah, Bones…" he managed as his hands settled on her rear end, helping her begin a rhythm designed to make them both come. "Look at me, baby."

Brennan situated herself by placing her hands on his shoulders, giving her the leverage she needed to move up and down, staring down into his eyes in the process.

Booth felt his body tighten and he was sure his love for her was all over his face. It felt strange and amazing not to have to hide it anymore. And he watched in fascination as her face began to reflect her feelings for him, even as her body moved over his over and over. "Bones, you're amazing. I love you so much."

A flush covered her cheeks and her neck tipped back, and just like that, she was clenching on him, squeezing his shoulders hard enough that he'd find small bruises the next morning. But all he could think in that moment was…home. _Perfect_. Gorgeous. _Mine._ Yes, oh y_es_, as his body bucked up into hers. He held her to him as they absorbed each other's pleasure. And when their skin began to cool, Booth pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly and running his fingertips through the ends of her hair. Brennan moaned into his mouth, running her hands over his chest as lingering effects of their mutual release flowed through her.

Needing breath, Booth pulled back and stared at her again, amazed at their connection.

She smiled, having recovered somewhat and then rubbed his arm. "Now we can go upstairs, if you'd like." Her finger traced over his bicep and then across his chest to his heart.

Booth chuckled and then couldn't stop grinning as they fixed their clothes like teenagers. It was a little awkward getting out and Booth was halfway to his door before he froze, snapping his fingers quickly. "Ice cream."

Brennan's eyebrows lifted and she stared at him. "What?"

He groaned and moved back to the SUV, opening the trunk to see his groceries mostly intact with the exception of a leaking container of ice cream. He held it up by one corner and Brennan smiled at the way it leaked. Booth jumped back from it and she laughed, moving over to help him. She arranged his other groceries in one bag and then wrapped the leaking ice cream in the other bag. Booth watched her and then just as she was turning around, he grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a deep kiss. "I'm going to love our life together, Bones," he murmured once he let her come up for air.

Brennan stared at him, her mind processing everything. And then she smiled and kissed him back. "I thought you already did, Booth."

Booth laughed against her lips and kissed her until he felt a small drip of the ice cream fall from the bag onto his shoes. He let out a small yelp and Brennan laughed at him again before backing away. Booth growled and then followed her. And they raced their way up to his apartment. Brennan quickly tossed the melting ice cream into the sink and then turned, finding Booth right behind her. He lifted her up and kissed her, wrapping her in his arms and carrying her back to his bed.

All night long, they kissed and caressed and moaned. And in the morning, Booth awoke to find Brennan staring at him. Her face was pale and pretty and free of make-up. He rolled onto his side, staring at her in return, wondering what she was thinking.

Before he could quite wake up, a small smile crossed her lips. Booth wasn't sure what she'd been thinking, if she'd wondered how she'd feel when she woke up beside him or what. But her smile reassured him. And then she kissed him, tasting faintly of coffee and toothpaste. Confused, he tried to keep his eyes open. "How long have you been awake?"

She smiled and laid back against his pillow. "About an hour. I made some coffee…it's right over there," she motioned toward his nightstand. Booth stared at it, desperately trying to get his mind in gear.

"Did you use my toothbrush?" he wondered, noticing the way she was dressed in one of his t-shirts. Wow, when she did something, she did it all the damn way. He shouldn't have expected anything less.

"No," she smiled. "I found a new one under your sink. I used your toothpaste though."

"Ah," Booth smiled then; he couldn't help it. "Well then I guess you owe me."

"Owe you?" she arched an eyebrow.

"Yep," he pulled her close and nuzzled her neck with his lips. Her fingers raked over his back and her legs parted beneath him. "Let's see…" he pretended to consider as his hands snuck under his shirt to find her naked underneath. Hot Damn. Hot _Bones_. "I'll trade you a kiss for it."

She smiled, understanding his teasing. Her arms wrapped around his neck as her legs wrapped around his waist. "What about for the coffee I made, hmmm? What do I get in return for that?"

His growing erection nestled between her legs, and he smirked against her lips. "Will that do?"

Clutching his rear end in her hands, she shifted until he was sliding into her. "For starters?"

"Starters?" he grunted, wondering if there would ever be a day in his life when he didn't feel completely, out of this world-amazed at the feel of her.

"Just…don't stop," she begged, and he got the message, sliding out of her before moving back in, over and over.

"Don't worry, Bones. I'm not going to stop. I'll never stop loving you."

"Yes," she gasped, and he stared down into her eyes, knowing that she meant she would never stop loving him either.

**-b&b-**


	3. A Dream

**Here's another one shot for you. Mind the title! **

The sounds of the organ music began to permeate the large sanctuary, and Brennan smoothed a hand over her skirt, picking at a non-existent thread at the hem. She looked up and saw Booth standing very straight, his hands crossed in front of him. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and she recognized it as a sign he was nervous. Her eyes moved up his body to his face and she saw that his jaw was firm, his eyes serious and focused on the back of the church. Jared stood behind him, and Brennan saw him shove his hand into his pocket, more than likely making sure a ring was still there.

Then her eyes were back on Booth again, and he was looking at her. The stress from his face disappeared and he gave her a small smile. His neck tilted to the side and he grinned, and Brennan looked to her side to where Parker sat, his shoulders slumped and his fingers messing with the small rose in his boutonniere. Brennan smiled and remembered Booth's words.

"_Look, Bones…you're my family. Please. Rebecca doesn't want to come, which…whatever, that's fine with me. But I need someone to sit with Parker in the front row."_

"_The front row?" she'd lifted an eyebrow toward him. She'd managed to fool everyone into thinking she was ambivalent toward his upcoming wedding, but having a literal front row seat felt like scraping at a wound._

"_Please," he'd repeated, his voice low and deep. And a bit desperate. She'd agreed. _

"_Okay, yes. I'll sit with Parker."_

"_Thanks, Bones," he'd breathed a sigh of relief. "You're the best."_

He'd even told her anyone could sit with her. She'd offered the opportunity to Angela and Hodgins and Cam. And even Sweets, but no one had agreed to join her. "No," they'd all said. "You're his partner. You're his best friend. You should be the one there. Just you."

So here she was, doing her best to be encouraging; doing her best to ignore the ever increasing feeling in her stomach that it was a mistake.

But it was not time for that. She'd already made her mistake, and it would be another one to act on her feelings now. She'd had her chance, and she'd made her decision, and it was time to live with that.

"This is kind of boring, right, Bones?" Parker nudged her arm, and she looked over toward Booth's son, noticing how much he looked like his father. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him it wasn't boring, that it was very important to Booth. But then the music changed slightly, and there was a different hum to the room. Parker's eyebrows perked up and he turned around, placing one hand on the pew behind him and looking toward the double doors.

Everyone in the room stood up and turned toward the back. But Brennan kept her eyes on her partner, watching as he watched the woman of his dreams walk down the aisle to marry him. She knew in the back of her mind that the right thing to do was to turn. Turn and watch the bride coming down the aisle. But she just couldn't tear her gaze from Booth's face. He looked so…incredibly…_happy_.

Then all of a sudden she was staring at the back of a woman in a wedding dress. But she could still see Booth's face. For just a second, his eyes flickered to Parker, and then to her, and he smiled softly before returning his gaze to his bride.

The ceremony was a blur and so was the reception. Brennan found herself standing at the edge of the dance floor, keeping an eye on Parker and sipping a glass of champagne.

"Hey, Bones," she heard from behind her and turned to see Booth standing there, a soft smile on his face.

"Hi, Booth." Brennan swallowed and then bit her lip, moving closer to give him a hug. "Congratulations. And…you look really nice in your tuxedo."

Booth smiled and stepped back, shoving one hand in his pocket and looking off into the distance like a model in a catalog, and Brennan smiled, unable to stop a small laugh from escaping her lips.

Booth stared at her for a minute and then held out his hand. "How about a dance with your partner, hmmm?"

Steeling herself against a riot of emotions, Brennan nodded, setting down her wineglass and taking his hand in hers. It was slightly rough and warm, like always, and Brennan felt an ember of confusion and desire settle in the pit of her stomach when the same hand settled around her back. Her left hand rested on his shoulder and their fingers joined near their shoulders. From the corner of her eyes, she saw their team staring at them, and she had to look away when Cam gave her a nice wave and Angela tried to discretely brush away a tear. _No…don't even think anything._

She'd done so well, proving to everyone that she was genuinely happy for Booth. What she hadn't revealed was that she'd learned that it was possible to be genuinely happy for someone else while feeling like you were dying inside.

_Stop it…_

Forcing her mind back to Booth, she looked at him. He was smiling at her and he looked very, very happy. "You know, Bones," he began, his left dimple more pronounced as he smiled wider. "There was a time when I thought you and me would end up like this. You know…getting hitched and all of that."

He gave a chuckle and shook his head. "I mean, now I know that was crazy. And, I…I just want to thank you. Thank you for letting me see the light, that we were much better as partners and friends than we ever would be in a romantic relationship."

It was torture. Exquisite torture of the human heart. She stared at his face, wondering why he seemed to be getting closer. "Booth…"

He grinned and then was even closer. "And now that I'm married I think we can both admit that you never cared about me like I cared about you, of course."

Why was he doing this? She had no words, and was afraid he was going to soon be able to see everything she was feeling right on her face.

His smile began to fade away and he grew tense in her arms. "Bones?"

Feeling trapped and also desperately wanting to move closer to him, she turned away, releasing his hand and stepping off of the dance floor.

"Bones!" he called after her, but she couldn't bear it any more. With as much courage and grace as she could muster, she walked. Away from the dance floor. Away from the wine and revelers. Away from their friends. Away from Booth and his new beautiful wife. But she wasn't fast enough and just as she was about to reach the small balcony off of the ball room, she felt a hand on her arm.

Booth grabbed her and pulled her onto the balcony, his hand flexing on her bare elbow. "Bones," he stared at her face.

His eyes were dark and fierce and she couldn't look away. "Damn it, Booth. Just let me go."

His chest began to almost heave and his tongue shot out and licked at his lips as he swallowed, but he never looked away. "What is going on?"

Shaking her head, she tried to look away but couldn't even though she knew everything she'd ever felt for him, she STILL felt for him was just rising up. It couldn't end well and she needed to just walk away. But she couldn't. She could not.

"Do you love me, Bones?" he whispered, his voice dark and hoarse. Tears sprang up in her eyes and she felt her face crumble with emotion.

Booth groaned and pulled her to him in a hug, and she could only assume he meant to comfort her. He didn't let go and just held her tighter until with a sob, she relaxed in his hands, pressing her palms to his warm chest and crying against his shirt. In the back of her mind, she suspected her makeup was making a stain on his perfect white tuxedo dinner jacket, but she couldn't stop.

He murmured soft words and rubbed her back and when she pulled back, he was smiling kindly at her. "Ah, Bones…"

With one finger, he gently wiped away a lingering tear and then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead. And then another against her cheek. "Bones, Bones, Bones…" he continued to murmur in comforting tones. And then another kiss on her other cheek. Her fingers tightened in the lapels of his jacket and she met his eyes. They stared at one another, and for a second, she thought he might kiss her lips. Hers parted, but whether it was in invitation or to stop him, she wasn't sure. But in the end, he didn't kiss her lips. Instead, his nostrils flared and he pressed his lips to the skin of her throat, beginning a series of kisses that left her hot and breathless.

"Booth!," she gasped, closing her eyes and placing one hand on his chest and the other on the back of his neck, unsure whether to keep him close or push him away.

He just murmured some unintelligible answer and kept kissing the skin of her neck. "Bones, Bones…Bones…..Bones…..Bones….." he kept muttering, and she began to shake her head.

"No…no…no…Booth…"

"Come on, Bones," he begged and she cried out.

…and then her eyes flew open. Booth was above her, his eyes dark and concerned, his lips slightly swollen. "Come on, Bones, sweetheart, baby, wake up."

Her lips opened and she said the only thing that came to mind. "I want you to marry _me, _instead."

Booth made a choked sound from the back of his throat, and then Brennan blinked, realizing where she was. With a gasp of horror, she shoved him off of her. As she looked frantically around the room, she saw she was in their bedroom. Everything was normal, everything was fine. Except she couldn't quite look at Booth. They'd been sharing a bed for almost a year now, their romantic partnership just as successful as their working partnership had always been. But now, she felt slightly stifled and without saying another word, she moved quickly into their bathroom, turning on the water to the shower and stepping inside.

Heat and nervous energy skittered along her skin, making her very sensitive to the pricks of the water falling from their overhead shower. Her loofah scraped against her arms and legs, and she shivered. And when Booth quietly opened the door to the bathroom, pulled back the curtain to the shower and stepped inside, she didn't say anything.

And neither did he. He merely held out his hand.

Brennan handed him her sponge and watched as he picked up her bodywash from the side ledge of the shower. He gently placed a hand on her hip and then turned her around, wrapping her in his arm and beginning to wash her back. Without saying a word, he worked, cleaning her shoulders and bare back, moving down toward her buttocks and the backs of her thighs. When she sighed and relaxed back against his warm chest, he nuzzled his nose against the nape of her neck. "What happened?" he asked in a whisper.

"A dream," Brennan confessed on a sigh, closing her eyes and then opening them again, almost as if to prove to herself that she wasn't having another one.

But no, when she opened her eyes, Booth was still behind her, his arm still around her waist in comfort and possession. She looked down and saw the way his skin looked even darker compared to her pale belly. Drops of water trickled down his forearm, and she began tracing them with her other hand. He was pressing soft kisses along the backs of her shoulders, smoothing her hair away from her neck to kiss her there as well.  
"Wanna tell me about it?" he asked.

A wave of affection and thankfulness swept over her at his offer, knowing that he'd accept it if she said no. But she didn't _want_ to say no. Swallowing, she turned in his arm, pressing her fingertips against his chest. It was such a clear image from her dream that she blinked, rubbing her thumbs against him, just to make sure he was really real. "I had a dream that you were getting married. To…to someone else."

His eyes were surprised, but he masked it quickly. "To who?"

"I don't know," Brennan shrugged one shoulder. The sound of the shower served as background to their conversation, and she felt his chest expand as he inhaled and exhaled against her hands. "I never saw her face." A lump formed in her throat at the genuine emotions she'd felt in her dream. She knew that if her life had gone differently, there would be a very good possibility that she could have danced with Booth, just like that, at his own wedding. "You asked me to sit in the front row, with Parker. As your family."

A groan escaped his lips, and she knew he understood the pain she'd feel if that were a reality. But she also knew that a dream like that and even her explanation didn't necessarily reveal why she'd asked him to marry her.

"And…" she continued. "In the dream, we danced." Tears at the imagined memory pricked in the backs of her eyes, and both of Booth's arms tightened around her. "And we talked, and all of our friends were there. I could tell they knew how I really felt. They felt sorry for me. And they could tell that I wanted to be the one you'd married."

"Want." he said quickly before he could stop himself. "Before, you said want."

And Brennan tightened in his arms. "I meant…want. I mean…"

Booth's lips parted in shock and his face blanched with emotion. His eyes were sharp but unreadable. "Want." He rubbed her back without thinking; his touch was soft, but his voice was hoarse as if every word was being wrenched from somewhere deep inside of him. And his _eyes_… "Bones…you _want _to marry me? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I…" Brennan stammered, unable to form complete words when he was looking at her like that. "You've never asked."

"You've…" he swallowed hard. "You've _never once_ said anything. I just…I don't know, I assumed…"

Surrounded by drops of water echoing on tile, they stared at one another for long moments, weighing each other's words and reactions. Booth's eyes searched her face and then he pulled back. Taking her hand in his, he slowly knelt on the shower floor. It was awkward in the tight space and Brennan felt her knees lock up in surprise. They stared at each other and his thumb brushed over her knuckles as warm damp air swirled around them from the shower. Before he could speak, he pressed his face to her belly, and Brennan smoothed her hand over his hair in response. His cheek was rough from stubble and little rivulets of water slipped from his head and neck and her fingers toward their feet where they splashed in unison with the rest of the water falling from the shower. It was quiet and peaceful, intense and intimate. Neither of them had ever imagined a scenario like this, but it was happening, and they both could hardly breathe.

Pulling back, Booth ran his thumb against the inside of her wrist. When he looked up, she could see genuine uncertainty in his eyes. And she stared at him as he removed the ring she currently wore on her finger. "Temperance Brennan," he began and then closed his eyes for just a second. She watched as his neck tilted to the side and knew he was fighting off emotion. "Bones," he cleared his throat, and she was surprised to hear in his voice that he was close to tears. "I…" he tried again. "I love you." With that, a whoosh of breath left his lips. He'd said it to her before, countess times, but it was in that moment, when he opened his eyes again that he seemed to gain confidence. Through the rain of the shower around them, she stared down into his eyes. "I love you, and you make me very happy." Booth continued, his voice low but sure. "I want you to know that no matter what you say next, that will never change. But now…" he swallowed and ran his index finger around the spot where he would eventually want to slip the ring he'd bought for her _more_ than a year ago, "I'm wondering if you would do me…the honor" he had to stop again and his jaw twitched. "…the _honor,_ Bones…" his chest expanded with breath and he exhaled on a rush. "Of being my wife."

Brennan felt her body tense for a millisecond. She had considered the fact that Booth might one day ask her to marry him, especially when they'd first become more than just partners. But each of her supposed scenarios never fully prepared her for the reality that was Booth _actually asking her_.

"Bones…I kind of need an answer here," he spoke up, and Brennan realized she'd gotten lost in her thoughts.

"Just a yes or no, Bones. That's all I need to know."

And that's when she knew. Booth would accept her whether she said yes. Or no. She could say no, and he'd still love her. She could still be autonomous in name and station and yet have the benefit of a shared relationship with the man she loved. Her lips parted, and…

"Yes,"

Booth blinked rapidly and Brennan pulled in a sharp breath, leaning back against the shower wall. Her shoulder hit the ledge and nearly knocked down her shampoo. Booth stood up in a flash and grabbed it with his hand. "Did you say yes?"

"I…" Brennan swallowed. "Yes, I believe I did."

His eyes narrowed and he stepped closer, effectively pinning her between his body and the tile at her back. "Did you mean it?"

She searched his face and noticed he still gave away nothing. What man would allow her this out? Only Booth. Only a man who really loved her. "Yes. I mean it. Yes…I'll…marry you."

If she lived to be 200 years old, she'd never forget the look on Booth's face. His eyes smiled first, even before his lips. And when he grinned, she couldn't help but smile in return. His joy was infectious, and she understood what it meant to sacrifice something she thought was important for the sake of love. For Booth.

And that was the truth; no other man ever would have satisfied her.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it before he shoved her ring back onto her finger. "Okay," he fidgeted. "I'm putting this back on you, but later, I'm going to put a different ring on your finger." His eyes were wild and he cupped her face, planting and deep and intense kiss on her lips. "But…I don't want to lose this one. Bones…we're…you said yes." He kissed her again, just as deep. She recognized the signs that he was quick to lose control.

Brennan couldn't help but laugh at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You asked."

"Yeah," he agreed, pride emanating from every pore of his body as his hands roved over hers. "Yeah, I did."

He then cupped her face in his hands again and kissed her so intensely Brennan thought she might cry. Though it was irrational, he even tasted happy, and he couldn't stop smiling against her lips.

Over and over he kissed her, his hands taking possession over her body. From her breasts to her hips, he cupped her, squeezing with the exact pressure she knew he knew she liked. His hands latched on to her ass and he pressed her to him, rolling his hips against her in the same rhythm as his tongue in her mouth. Brennan grabbed at his ass to keep him in place as she rubbed one of her calves against the back of his. With two long fingers, he tested her, mimicking his penis with slow and easy thrusts.

"Yes," she gasped, her head lolling back to the shower wall. "Oh, Booth yes."

"Mmmmmmm…." He pressed his face against the skin of her throat and smiled, and she wondered if he was going to smile every time she said yes for the rest of their lives. It was possible, she supposed.

"Kiss me, Bones," he pleaded a demand, bringing his fingers out of her body to touch her clit as he began to line his cock up to her opening. Brennan tightened one hand in his hair and the other around his waist as she captured his mouth with hers, tangling her tongue with his. Booth groaned and in a single thrust was buried inside of her to the hilt.

"Oh yes," she scraped her fingernails along his back and he hitched up her hips, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"You gonna marry me, Bones?" he taunted in the same tone he usually reserved for asking her if she was going to come in his arms.

"Yes," she repeated and he thrust into her three times, so smooth, so slick and hard.

"You'll be my wife?" he didn't even wait for her response but began thrusting into her, just the very word associated with her enough to practically set him off.

Brennan felt the familiar stirrings of an orgasm. It felt so delicious to know Booth like this, even after a year, and nothing managed to turn her on quite as much as him losing control. "And you'll be my husband," she reminded.

"Oh yeah," he rasped out, his hips moving with lightning speed. Brennan almost felt outside her body. She could distinctively feel every inch of his penis sliding against every inch of her passage. And she felt his hard thighs holding her up, his warm palms cupping her. She even recognized her own body's reaction to him. Swollen lips, desperate core, tight nipples, sensitive clit, tense thighs stretched just a fraction too far.

But it was his eyes that made her come, made her tip over into brown welcoming warmth. She saw the same look he'd had in her dream. Completely, utterly…happy.

She…_Temperance Brennan_…had made him happy.

Seizing all around him, she convulsed as waves of her own pleasure rolled through her from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet.

"Booth, Booth…" she repeated his name over and over. He grunted in reply and held on to her as she literally collapsed onto him in all ways. Her face burrowed into his neck, her arms draped over his shoulders and her legs tightened around his waist. He turned off the water and Brennan let out a small gasp of surprise as he yanked back the curtain and carried her back to their bed. It wasn't a far walk, but she still marveled that he managed to keep his hard length buried deep inside of her. He planted them both on the mattress, and Brennan gasped at the cool sheets against her wet body, the contrast enticing compared to Booth's hot body above her. Drops of water fell from his hair and body as he thrust into her.

"This is going to be amazing," he warned, though she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself.

"Do you mean orgasm…or marriage?" she asked, and his eyes darkened, his hips now pistoning on all cylinders.

"Say it again," he begged, completely without rhythm.

She loved contradicting him, would never get tired of it. "Orgasm?"

"Uhhhhhhhhnnnnnn," he whined in desperation, dropping his body onto hers as he picked up the pace even harder, piledriving into her over and over. "Please, Bones…_please_."

Her fingertips skipped over his back, the light touch making him crazier. She could feel him dripping inside of her, and she nipped at his earlobe. "Marriage," she whispered, and he tensed, before coming hard inside of her.

She shivered as the man she loved fell completely apart inside of her. He was gasping and practically wheezing his thanks and praise of her.

"Oh jeez, Bones…so happy…you make me so happy," he nuzzled his face against her neck and chest, leaving sweet kisses everywhere his lips touched.

Brennan felt vulnerable, but pleased with his words. "You make me happy, too, Booth."

He managed to lift himself up on his elbows to stare down at her. She skimmed her fingernails against his chest, feeling the natural rise and fall of his breath.

His lips curved up in a small smile, and she couldn't help but smile in return.

_**-b&b-**_

**_Hey, a girl can dream, right? :)_**


	4. A Laugh

**No smut in this one. I kind of tried and it just would NOT happen, so I had to eventually just give in and let it be what it is. What can you do?**

**-b&b-**

"Wow," Booth pressed on the brakes and tried not to skid along the loose gravel. "Now _this _is what you would call rain."

Brennan looked at him, a question in her expression. "It's what anyone would call rain, Booth. It IS rain."

He spared her a glance. "I know, it's…it's just an expression, Bones." He blew out a breath and shifted in his seat, clenching the steering wheel. "You know, like sort of the opposite of exaggeration? When someone de-exaggerates?"

She curled her lip up at him in disgust. "That's not a word."

His jaw tightened and he stared at her. "Really?"

Brennan wasn't sure if he was questioning her correction of him or if he didn't honestly know it was a word. She frowned and then noticed something from the corner of her eye. "Booth! Look out!"

He reacted, slamming on his brakes and skidding to a stop. There was a fallen log in the middle of the street that they barely missed running into and then they both heard a loud pop.

Booth and Brennan looked at one another and then Booth opened his door. When Brennan did the same, he froze. "What are you doing?"

She looked at him. "I'm going to help see what happened."

"No," he insisted. "It's raining. You can sit right there, and I'll do it. It's my SUV, and I'll do it!"

"It's the government's vehicle, Booth."

"Yeah, well…" his nose twitched and he scowled. "They sign my paychecks, so…it's still more mine than yours."

He didn't wait for a reply and got out, cursing immediately at the rain and wind that hit his face. Lifting up his trenchcoat, he shielded his face and neck and walked around to the back of the SUV. "Son of a bitch," he clenched his jaw. Sure enough, a flat tire. Another flat tire, he should say as he worked toward the back of the passenger side and noticed it was flat, too. "Great, just great."

"What's great?"

He looked up to see his partner standing next to him. "Jeez, Bones! I told you to stay put! It's pouring rain out here!"His coat was plastered to his body and he could feel water seeping into his shoes and up his pant legs.

"It's okay, Booth. I'm not going to melt."

His eyebrows rose. "Did you just make a joke, Bones? Because, I gotta say, I'm not really in the mood for the wicked witch of the west."

Her brow furrowed. "I don't know what that means,"

"Right," he nodded. "Of course not. You were just stating a fact"

"Precisely," she agreed. "Human skin does not dissolve in water."

He stared at her, in that exact moment wondering why he really put up with her. "You're unbelievable, you know that, Bones?"

"What?" she called after him as he turned and stormed toward the driver's side door. But when he opened it, he couldn't. It was locked.

"Get in, Bones," he demanded over the sound of the rain. "Get in and open my door. Hurry."

He could see through the tinted windows that she was standing outside her door. "It's locked,"

Booth shook his head, looking to the sky for guidance. Why? Why, why?

"Why is it locked, Bones?" he asked her, his voice more calm than he felt. "Hmmm?"

She shrugged a shoulder, and then they were standing on opposite sides of the SUV, staring at one another over the hood. "You don't know?" he asked. "I'll tell you. Because you didn't stay INSIDE where I TOLD you to!"

"You're not my superior, Booth," her chin tilted up, and he clenched his fists.

"Got it, Bones. Thanks for the reminder. I'll be sure to write that one down later."

"Maybe I didn't lock the doors," she challenged. "Maybe _you_ did."

His mind immediately went to the possibility. It was habit to push the lock button when he got out. And he wasn't about to admit that he'd locked his keys in there once before. No, she didn't need to know that. "But…you were the last one in it. You were supposed to stay inside."

When she didn't reply, he knew he'd won. And if he wasn't getting completely drenched in the fucking middle of nowhere, he might have enjoyed it a little more. As it was, he was only just trying to figure out how much his suit had cost in combination with his coat and shirt and shoes. And socks. Damn it.

"Do you have your phone on you? We'll just call in for back up and make the most of it."

She nodded and held up her phone. Booth walked around the SUV and grabbed it from her hands, sliding it open and staring at it. "How the hell do you work this thing anyways?"

She grabbed it back and then pulled up the keypad. "Here,"

He pressed his tongue to the inside of his mouth and forced himself to be polite. "_Thank_ you,"

Her eyebrows rose and it was clear to him that she wasn't buying his tone. He ignored her and the way her eyes seemed brighter in the dull gray rain surrounding them. "Yeah, this is Booth. Special Agent Booth," he clarified, tossing an incredulous look toward his partner. "Well, patch me through." He grunted and stared at the phone as if somehow it was responsible for him getting the new switchboard operator. "This is unbelievable," he grumbled, running his hand over his face. Water dripped over his head. "No," he cleared his throat and stood up straighter. "Not you, sir. I just meant…"

His eyes widened and Brennan watched him. "Sir, Dr. Brennan and I are stranded. Yeah, two flat tires and closed road." He looked up to the sky. "Fallen limbs. We're unharmed, but could use a tow truck."

He got the okay and closed the phone, handing it back to Brennan. "Can you look up our coordinates on that thing and email them to Cullen?"

Brennan nodded and did it, and then once she was done, they stared at one another.

"Now what?" Brennan asked before a huge clap of thunder rocked the sky above them. Booth blew out a breath and pressed his hands to his sides.

They looked around and then Brennan pointed. "Look, over there. I think there's a barn or something."

Booth lifted his hand to his eyes and peered. "Yeah, I think you're right. Wanna make a run for it?"

Brennan nodded. "Sure."

Booth hitched his coat over his head and ran beside his partner. Thankfully she was at least wearing her boots and was able to keep up. He tried not to think about mud and what else could be squishing under his shoes as they ran through the field. And when they got there, he halted. "You've got to be kidding me."

Brennan's eyes followed his and then she took the two steps needed to see what he was seeing. It was a barn alright, or at least, it had been. But now it was just half of a barn. As in the front and one side, but no real roof to speak of.

Booth shook his head, lifting his hands in annoyance. "Really?" he asked to no one in particular. And when he looked toward Brennan he saw that she was smiling at him. "This isn't funny, Bones." She was so infuriating! His mind continued to wonder why he really bothered with her sometimes.

She schooled her features and looked down, but didn't say anything.

"I mean it," he warned.

Her eyes met his again, and she tilted her head to the side, pointing to the barn. "I'm sorry, Booth. But…there is an element of humor to it."

His eyebrows rose and he stepped closer to her. "Which part? That we're stranded in the middle of nowhere? That it's pouring rain? That we're locked out of the SUV? That the only building in a 100 mile radius doesn't actually have a roof?" he pointed to the barn as well and spared a glance toward it.

His head tilted in disbelief as he stared at it, the complete preposterousness of their situation. And when he looked back to his partner, he saw her trying to hide a smile.

"Well," he cleared his throat, feeling his lips quirk up without his permission. "That part might actually be kind of funny."

And then…

She smiled. Standing in the pouring rain, as soaked as he was, just as stranded, just as locked out. And she smiled as the rain continued to fall around them. Her hair was matted to her head, her clothes skin tight to her body. Her eyes were wide, and she smiled.

Oh yeah, his body reminded him. That's why.

He chuckled and she smiled wider, and then he relaxed his shoulders and laughed again, smoothing a hand down his face. "So what next, Bones? What do you think?"

"Well," she walked toward the old barn. "I think that if we at least sort of sit along the edge, then the wall will kind of block the wind and rain from us till help arrives."

Booth pulled in breath and pointed. "Sounds good. Let's do this."

It was a bit drier near the wall, but still pretty damp and they were still getting rained on. Booth pulled off his trench coat and laid it on the ground. "We can at least sit on this."

They settled down onto it, Brennan with her legs in front of her and Booth with his knees near his chest and his arms wrapped around them. Their shoulders brushed a few times and then Booth looked over to see Brennan staring at him, a curious look on her face.

"What is it, Bones?"

She didn't exactly look away, but he sensed he'd interrupted her thoughts. "You're a very handsome man, Booth."

She was so matter of fact about it. He never quite knew how to react to her compliments. They always left him feeling very good but yet… "Um, thanks."

When she only shrugged, he knew that she'd only been 'stating a fact' as she liked to say. But this time he was curious, and hell, it wasn't like they had anywhere else to be. "What made you say that, Bones?"

Her brow furrowed and she examined his features. "It's hard to explain, specifically," she cautioned, and he hid a smile at her serious tone. "But…I don't know. Right now, your hair is wet and darker than normal. And your head is very nicely shaped. And you obviously maintain very good care of your body." A flicker of heat began at the back of his brain and zinged down his spine. "Mostly," she clarified, and then he had to laugh.

"But…" she frowned. "It's more than that. Even if I didn't know you, I'd still think you were very attractive."

Meaning what?, he wondered. That because she did know him, she found him even more attractive? Hmmm…

"Well, hell, Bones," he nudged her leg with his foot. "With compliments like that, I'd say you planned this whole thing."

"Whole thing?" she looked at him in surprise. "What are you talking about, Booth?"

He warmed up to the idea of teasing her. "Yep," he went on, as if she hadn't even spoken. "You orchestrated all of this so you could tell me how good looking I am."

"Booth," she stared at him, unamused. "That's highly irrational."

"I know," he insisted, hiding a smile. "But, you did it, Bones. Nice work," he teased. "Making that tree fall. You are the one who noticed it first after all. Very sly," he grinned when she huffed in disbelief. "Getting us stranded out here. Making it rain. Locking us out of the SUV so we'd have to huddle up here together."

"I did not…" she pursed her hips and gently punched his arm. "I did not make it rain. No one can do that."

"Ah HA!" he pointed at her and laughed. "So you DID lock us out on purpose. You wanted to seduce me in the _rain_, Bones."

She laughed and shook her head. "I did _not_, Booth." Their eyes met and held again and she looked away, fiddling with the buckle on her boot. "If I'd _wanted_ to seduce you, you'd have known it right away."

"Ey yo, Bones!" Booth stared at her in disbelief. "Nice work on the comeback!"

"Thank you," she accepted graciously. "I've been working on them."

Working on comebacks? He wanted to ask if she was serious, but then an image of her sitting at her desk with flashcards, preparing replies to statements crossed his mind, and it was so easily embedded in his brain that he figured it might as well be true.

He didn't realize he was staring at her until she was looking at him, a question in her eyes. "What, Bones?" All this talk of seduction was making his thoughts as cloudy as the sky they were under. Thankfully, the rain was cold enough; it should do the trick, he figured in the back of his hazy mind. He watched as she smoothed her hair away from her face. It was drying slightly and not so much curling as just…getting kind of fuzzy.

She was smiling, but then she shook her head and looked away.

Oh… "Hey, come on now, Bones. I was just teasing. We're good?"

Brennan smiled to herself. "Of course, Booth. I was just thinking about something."

He waited for her to elaborate, and when she didn't he nudged her shoulder with his. "Well, now I've got to know."

His eyes were pinned to her face as he watched her, and then she seemed to take a deep breath. "I guess I was just thinking that a normal woman probably would have taken the opportunity to seduce you."

"Normal," he repeated, desperately trying to keep up with her and somehow reconcile her words with her tone of voice. What she was saying was the kind of stuff in his fantasies. How she sounded was the way she did when she absolutely tore him to shreds. "Bones, you are not normal."

The look she gave him proved he had messed up. "No, I mean…you're just…"

"Abnormal?" she offered.

"Extraordinary," he countered. When she didn't reply, he tapped her chin with his index finger. "Hey, I mean that. Hell, Bones, look at this situation. We get locked out, get two flat tires, we're stranded, and you're the one who stays calm when I was upset."

"You were more than upset, Booth" she clarified, her tone indicating the truth was paramount.

"Yeah, yeah," he groaned. "But see…most other women, they'd complain. Not you. You found us a place to sit. And…you made me laugh."

Her eyes flickered with some undefinable emotion at that. So he grinned and leaned closer, "Yeah?" he wheedled, trying to get her to smile. "Come on, Bones…turn that frown upside down."

Brennan rolled her eyes, but then looked away before tilting her head in his direction and smiling despite herself.

"Yeah, that's right."

She laughed and he did too. And then he couldn't help it. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against her lips.

Her eyes focused on his mouth as he pulled away and he could barely breathe from her sweet expression.

"Are you seducing me now, Booth?" she asked, her voice husky.

"Nope," he replied, noticing that she seemed a bit disappointed. "I'm just responding to your seduction."

Her eyebrows lifted, but when he leaned in again, she did the same and they kissed, soft and sweet in the rain.

"I didn't seduce you," she countered with a whisper, her eyes searching his face.

"Oh yeah," he kissed her again. "You did, Bones. You definitely did. You always do. Everything about you. Everything around you"

She blushed and smiled then shook her head disbelievingly. "Even this mud?"

"Ah," he laughed and kissed her, enjoying the way her hand cupped the back of his head. "Good one, Bones."

He cupped her back and lowered her onto his coat, kissing a line against her throat.

"Let me get this straight," she panted, her hands moving his jacket aside so she could cup his shoulders through his shirt. "This is _me_ seducing _you_?"

Booth smiled down at her, and then he laughed. "Yeah, Bones. I just can't help myself when you're so aggressive."

They kissed more until they heard the honking of the tow truck driver. Booth grumbled and stood up, offering his hand to Brennan. She accepted and then stood up. They smiled as they walked to the tow truck. And as they rode back into the city, Booth kept his arm wrapped around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. And they smiled...

**-b&b-**


	5. A Kiss

**Well, we're just moving right along, aren't we? Thanks to everyone who is continuing to leave kind comments. **

**In pretty much 24 hours, we will have seen BONES! I'm pretty excited! **

**-b&b-**

"Booth!" Angela whined. "What are you doing here?" She practically fell off the barstool she was perched on. Her high heels did nothing to help as she almost fell to the floor.

"Relax," Booth drawled, wrapping an arm around her waist, putting her back on her stool and then reaching past her for his order. "I'm not crashing Cam's precious bachelorette party, okay?"

He grinned toward his friend and former lover. "Though Cam, I've got to say that penis hat looks great on you."

"Shut up, Seeley," Cam slurred, reaching for her fourth drink. Or maybe fifth. Or maybe eighth. Or maybe it didn't matter.

"Better be careful," he warned with a grin. "Paul's liable to dump your drunk ass if he sees you like this."

"Nope!" Angela exclaimed, shaking her index finger in Booth's face in disagreement. "He never will!" Her eyes were wide and unfocused. "Cam said he thinks she's awesome in bed."

"Angela!" Cam still had the presence of mind to gasp. But it was followed with a hiccup, so it lost some of its ire. She laughed and then leaned on Booth's arm. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Just getting some dinner." He insisted. "That's all." He _was_ just at Founding Fathers to get some food for a late supper. Okay, yeah, and to make sure they were all okay. Just once. And Hodgins was scheduled to get a bite to eat in an hour. Angela would probably kill him. If she could even see anything, that is. Booth spared a glance toward Brennan, noticing the way she ran her index finger against the sugared rim of her margarita. She didn't seem quite as drunk as their friends.

He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a wistful look in his partner's eyes. As if she'd rather hang out with him than be at the party.

But he blinked back to the scene at hand when Angela DID fall off her stool, bumping into his arm. She laughed and patted it.

"Yep…" Angela crowed. "Cam's getting some. _I'm_ married. We're all getting some sexy sex!"

"No!" Cam flung her arms out and spoke just a bit too loudly. "Not Brennan. She's celibate."

"What?" Booth's head reared back before he could control his thoughts. He looked over to Brennan quickly, but she looked away.

She examined her drink like it was her newest set of remains, but he recognized the straight line of her jaw. It was true!

"Yep," Cam continued, shoving a beer into Booth's hand. He shoved it back.

She laughed. "Has been for quite some time, apparently."

"No WAY!" Angela pushed past him and pulled Brennan's arm, forcing her around. Booth could now see that Brennan wasn't even close to drunk.

"YOU'RE celibate?" Angela asked, incredulous and sloppy. She turned to Booth with a happy sigh.

Brennan's eyes flickered once to her partner and then her chin lifted. "I'd prefer not to discuss it."

Booth couldn't take his eyes off her face. Her words floored him. She was celibate? For how long?

"That's not any of your business," Brennan replied, causing Booth to realize he'd asked the question out loud.

For some reason, her tone annoyed him. "For once, apparently," he muttered. "Normally you toss it right in my face."

Brennan stood up as Cam and Angela giggled and backed up. "I don't throw my sex life in your face."

Booth's jaw worked back and forth. What was he doing? Why was he torturing himself? He needed to just turn and walk out of there.

Turn. Walk. One foot in front of the other. He was a trained soldier. He could do it. Left. Right. Left Right Left.

But he couldn't quite do it. "How long, Bones?"

Her eyes were wary and completely sober. "I don't see how it's any concern of yours."

His brain whirled in confusion. She was acting like she did when something was too personal. He stepped closer.

His voice lowered and he heard a quiet desperation in it when he spoke again. "How long?"

Brennan swallowed, but maintained their eye contact. "Why do you keep asking me that?" she asked, her face composed. But he noticed the small flash in her eyes that gave him an answer to a question buried long deep inside.

Booth's chest tightened. "I…I don't know." If she was celibate…

No…no, he tried to convince himself. It had nothing to do with him. Nothing. Right? It couldn't.

_Could it?_

Other noises swirled around them, other people's reasons for drinking and talking and whatever. But only silence arced between them.

The only thing Booth could hear was the dull roar of…something…in his brain. His mouth was dry, his hands warm.

He felt rather than saw his partner move past him, mumbling something about needing fresh air.

Stunned, he blinked rapidly until he felt a punch on his arm. Turning toward the offender, he saw Cam's drunk and wide eyes.

"GO!" she shouted at him, punching him again for good measure. Angela stood behind her and shooed him away with her hands.

Booth turned on his heel, his eyes scanning every inch of everything for any sign of Brennan.

As he exited the building, he pulled in a shockingly cold breath of freezing December air, and he paused, trying to catch his bearings.

And that's when he saw her, standing near the bus stop, arms crossed in front of her chest to ward off a chill.

A cab pulled up and she opened the door. He didn't know if she knew he was standing there or not. But as she was about to get in, she turned and looked at him. Booth's heart began to pound and he walked toward her. She got into the cab and didn't close the door. Instead, she moved over to make room on the seat. Though he had a perfectly good vehicle of his own, he got inside. _Inside the cab with her._

"Do you really want to know?" she asked him, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her face.

The cab smelled like tobacco and leather, and he couldn't quite breathe. "Yeah," he gasped. "I mean, yes."

Her eyes lowered for a moment, and he wondered if she was actually going to tell him anything at all.

But then she looked back up. "A long time."

_A long time_. What did that even mean? He had a feeling it meant longer than he might think.

His blood grew warm and his body tight. "For me?" The words escaped his lips before he could stop them. But she didn't seem shocked, which he supposed was a sort of answer.

She shrugged her shoulder, nervous energy surrounding her. "I don't know. At the start, perhaps. Or perhaps not. Now? I'm not so sure."

Her answer sounded standoffish, but it wasn't. He knew it wasn't, because it was the exact same damn way he felt.

Sometimes sure, sometimes not sure what the hell he was doing. Or _why_.

"I waited for you for a long time," The admission was low and from his heart, and her face crumpled for just a second before she looked away.

"I know that now," Brennan admitted.

Booth swallowed. "But I couldn't always wait."

"I know," she replied in a small voice. "I know that, Booth."

His heart was just about bursting through his chest, beating in time so quickly. He felt like he was watching his own life play out on a screen, knowing how he wanted it to end, but still so unsure.

"But I'm single now," Booth said. He realized that sometime in the past few seconds he'd moved toward her in the cab. Her back was against the seat and her door; his arms were along the back seat and the front seat. They were cocooned with one another, here, in the back of a taxi. "I have been for awhile."

"I know that, too, Booth…" It was then that she met his eyes again, and Booth felt a raging desire stir in his body.

But he had to know for sure. "Are you still waiting, Bones? Are you waiting for me?"

Her eyes nearly glazed and then she blinked. Tentatively, she placed her hand on his before moving it gently up his arm to his elbow. His shirtsleeve was rolled back and she toyed with the folded fabric before settling her delicate fingers against his bicep and running her thumb there. Every nerve ending in his body seemed attuned to her touch, and Booth closed his eyes for a second against the pure pleasure coursing through his body.

Her fingers skipped over his arm and shoulder and then she was cupping his face. Booth opened his eyes just in time to see her lean closer to him. Or maybe he was the one leaning toward her. It was hard to tell when his world was being flipped upside down. And then he was so close to kissing her, and he watched as if almost in slow motion, her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted in invitation.

But she didn't kiss him. He's the one who kissed her in the end, and the sweet moan that left her lips told him that that was how it should be.

He groaned, and then cupped the back of her head in his palm as their tongues tangled sweetly with one another's. It shifted their balance and soon he found himself practically lying on top of her. _In the backseat of a cab_, his mind felt fuzzy with the knowledge.

"Bones," he gasped when her fingernails ran the length of his spine. He couldn't help the press of his hips against hers, and he relished in the sweet whoosh of breath that came from her lips when she recognized how desperate he was for her.

Capturing his lips with hers, he missed the throat clearing from the front seat. And when her hands settled against his chest and ran down to his stomach, he forgot everything except the feel of her, the taste of her, everything about her.

"Hey, buddy! Where to?" There was a slap against the driver's seat of the cab, and Booth reared back and blinked.

Brennan tilted her head to the side toward the front seat. "His house," was all she got out before Booth pressed his lips to the pale expanse of her neck. She shuddered and clasped his head in her hand, and her legs parted around his body.

"Which is?" the cabbie drawled from the position behind the steering wheel.

"Anywhere you are, Bones," Booth murmured against the sweet curve of her throat. His lips parted and he sucked lightly. Gentle enough not to leave a mark but strong enough to set her skin on fire.

The cabbie snorted, and Brennan blinked her eyes open, reciting off an address.

"Great," was all the cab driver said as he put the cab in drive and moved into traffic. "But you know the meter's been running this whole time."

Booth almost laughed. As if he gave a damn about a few dollars when the treasure of his heart was beneath him, nearly spread out for him.

Over and over, they kissed each other as they moved through the streets they'd traveled together so many times. From Founding Fathers to his apartment, he knew the route by heart. But now his heart was more happily engaged, and Booth pressed kisses along Brennan's neck and throat before she whimpered and pulled him back up to kiss her. Their tongues tangled together again and desire and need tangled alongside. His hands itched to strip them both down, but his mind was clear enough to know he needed just a bit more patience. _Years_ he'd waited. They'd waited. _Bones had waited for him._

For him…

Her thighs clamped against his hips and he ground down against her. They both groaned and she arched beneath him, running her hands over his shoulders before clenching her fingers in his hair. Their lips parted when they realized the cab had stopped.

"We kissed the entire way here," Brennan breathed, her lips swollen and pink. She stared at Booth, recognizing the glazed look in his eyes. He smiled, stunned, and when he leaned down to press a soft kiss on her lips, Brennan had to blink back tears at the tenderness in his touch.

She knew he understood everything.

"Yeah, we did, Bones," he murmured and then used his arms to pull himself up into a seated position.

He grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out some bills from the back. He opened his door, tossed the bills toward the front seat and then grabbed Brennan's hand in his. "Keep the change."

The cabbie took a look at the amount and laughed at him, giving Booth a small salute. Booth wasn't aware of it, though. He was only aware of the smile on his partner's face as she fell back into his arms. Their lips connected and he realized he was also smiling. He hadn't even known it; it had taken the reflection of her happiness to make him realize he was grinning from ear to ear. Smiling that much made it slightly more difficult to keep kissing her, but he laughed, and so did she as they backed up toward the door. It wasn't until his feet hit a step that he almost tripped and pulled back. He blinked and whirled around.

"Which address did you give him?" he asked.

Brennan peered over his shoulder and laughed. "I guess mine. I was sort of distracted when he asked for it, so I must have given mine instead."

Booth wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and continued to kiss the back of her neck as she fumbled around for her keys. Once she opened the outside door, she turned and grabbed his lapels, dragging him with her as they stumbled into her elevator. Once inside, she pinned him to the back wall of the elevator car. Immediately, Brennan rose up on tiptoes, pressing herself against Booth from lips to hips and everywhere in between. His hands came around and clutched at her bottom, effectively keeping her in place. Exactly where she wanted to be.

"I want you now, Booth," she insisted, her hands shoving between them and unfastening his pants. Booth grunted against her lips and swatted her hands away.

"Bones…" he chided, but his hips disagreed and shoved toward her touch. "We can't do this in your apartment elevator."

"Yes, we can, Booth." She attempted to prove her point by kissing the skin underneath his ear.

"Okay, okay," he acknowledged. "We _can_, but…" he forced her away from him, grabbing her keys from her pocket. He held them up, his lips swollen from her kisses and his eyes dark. "But we're not going to." He ignored her look of disappointment and stored it away for another time. "We're at least going to get inside your apartment."

He opened her door and as soon as they were inside, Brennan backed him up against her door. He laughed out a gasp, and she smirked against his lips. "What?" she challenged. "We're in my apartment."

Booth ran his hands up and under her sweater, cupping her back in his warm palms. "Yeah we are, Bones."

His serious tone gave her pause and they stared at one another for a moment. Then very slowly, his hands moved around her waist and cupped her breasts through her silk bra. They both groaned and their lips fell together in desperation. While Booth's thumbs scraped against her, Brennan fought with the fabric until she could pull it over her head, baring herself for his gaze and his lips. Her own hands pushed his pants and boxers down his hips and then hers. She stepped out of her pants and underwear as his fingers deftly unfastened the front hook of her bra. Brennan ripped open his shirt, and when Booth let out a startled gasp, she met his eyes, a slight blush crossing her mostly unapologetic expression. "Are you complaining?" she asked, moving the fabric over his shoulders. The movement put her bare breasts flush against his chest and Booth grunted his reply, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her even closer.

"No," he answered, hitching his hands under her hips. "Not complaining, Bones."

His arousal nosed its way inside her body and she slid over him, liquid desire to soothe all the aches in his life.

Booth let out a hoarse moan and Brennan froze, her body stunned at the impact of finally being with Booth in every way she'd dreamt. Their feet tangled and Booth turned them so her back was flush against her door and he could piston his hips toward hers.

The subsequent rhythm left them both nearly incoherent with pleasure and yet they found the answers to so many questions in each other's eyes.

"Bones," Booth's lips parted on a groan. "I love you."

Her brow softened at his words and she wrapped her arms around his neck, falling forward to hug him tight, even as their bodies moved seamlessly with one another. "I love you too, Booth," she whispered against his ear.

But he heard it and it was enough to send his body in overdrive. His rhythm picked up and so did hers. And like he'd promised those years ago, everything occurred and eventually became now as their partnership took on new meaning and they collapsed onto each other, pulling in deep breaths and running frantic fingers over warm skin.

Booth pulled up strength from deep in his body and managed to pick her up and carry her back to her bed. When he laid her in the center of it, he smiled when she pulled him down on top of her. Within seconds, Brennan flipped them and stretched out on top of him. Resting her weight on her hands and knees, she stared down at him.

Booth smoothed her hair away from her forehead. "Thanks for sharing your cab with me tonight, Bones."

The words and meaning were not lost on her, and she smiled, using her thumb to trace over his heart. "I only wish I'd shared one with you many years ago."

Booth swallowed and clasped her hand in his, pulling it up to press a kiss against the inside of her wrist. Brennan's face softened and she leaned down to kiss his lips.

"Thanks for waiting for me, Booth," Brennan whispered against his lips.

Booth nudged her lips open with his in response and wrapped his arms around her, lifting his knees and planting his feet on the mattress as Brennan's body sank onto his. "Thanks for waiting for me, Bones."

She stared down at him with a smile. "Now what?"

Booth chuckled and began a tight rhythm designed to make her crazy. He palmed her breasts in his hands and placed his mouth between them using a light suction. "Now I make you feel really really good and you do the same for me, and tomorrow we wake up, and I'm going to kiss you. And we're going to go to work and then tomorrow night, you're going to kiss me. And that's how it's going to be."

"Oh yeah?" she challenged, but she was also blushing.

Booth rotated his hips until she arched her back and groaned. "Oh yeah," he replied. "Hell yeah, Bones."

And he was as right about that as he was about anything…

**-b&b-**


	6. A Cry

**Hey! How are things going? **

**-b&b-**

"Dr. Brennan?" she heard through the other end of her phone.

Brennan perched her phone on her ear as she pushed her grocery cart through the produce section. "Yes? This is Temperance Brennan."

"It's Sweets," she heard and when he said "It's about Agent Booth," her mind went blank only to come back in time to hear, "He's okay, but he's in a little bit of pain. I just…I thought you should know. Brennan immediately put down the asparagus she'd started to examine. "Where is he?"

"Here, at his apartment," Sweets answered.

She closed her phone and abandoned her cart, making a promise to herself to call in the next morning and give a reward to the employee who had to put back the groceries she'd already gathered.

She drove through the city, pleased when she made each light. And when she made it to Booth's door, she scanned the area, almost expecting to see some sort of danger. But all she saw was a faint light emanating from Booth's apartment. The door was cracked, and she pulled it open quickly to see Booth sitting on his couch, his socked feet propped on his coffee table and an ice pack over one eye.

"Dr. Brennan," Sweets was there too, and he stood when he saw her come inside.

"Bones!" Booth sat up, the ice pack falling into his lap. He winced and grabbed for it, and that is when she noticed his busted knuckles and lip as well as the scratch on his neck. "What are you doing here?"

A little bit of her fire left her, and she motioned toward Sweets. "Sweets called me."

Booth stared at the other man, an incredulous and betrayed tone to his voice. "You _called _her?"

Sweets swallowed but stood his ground. "Yeah, I did. She's your partner."

"Out of line, Sweets," Booth muttered, pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek.

"You're telling me that if the positions were reversed, and she's the one who'd been in an undercover fight-" Sweets pointed at Brennan. "You wouldn't want me to call you?"

Booth's jaw tightened and his eyes flickered to Brennan. In that instant, he saw what she was wearing, a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that read, "Anthropologists dig it deep."

Did she even know what that meant? _Doesn't matter. Don't think about it._ "Goodbye, Sweets," was all he said, keeping his eyes on his partner as she stood near his doorway.

Sweets looked between the agent and the anthropologist and got the message. "I'll see you tomorrow," he nodded with a mock salute as he walked out the door, closing it behind him.

But neither of the room's two other occupants looked at him. Instead, Booth watched as Brennan walked toward him.

"What happened?" she asked, stopping when she reached the edge of his couch. Her finger traced along the edge of the heating pad resting there.

Booth licked his lips, wincing again at the bitter taste of dried blood there. "Remember the Crassman case I told you about?"

Brennan nodded, her eyes scanning his face for signs of injury.

"Well," Booth licked his lips again, looking at his table for a moment and running his finger along the edge of a file folder. "Tonight there was a stakeout. Guys only," he caught her gaze. "If you know what I mean."

"I understand," Brennan shook her head. "But I don't understand how you're in this current position."

Booth rolled his shoulders back. "Well, I was mainly there as backup, but also to keep the cover of the other team working. So it was my job to make sure everything went according to plan, and in this case…I had to sort of fight another guy to provide a distraction. It just…" he rubbed his jaw and cracked it, squeezing his fist and wincing again. "Lasted a long time, that's all."

Brennan sat on the couch and grabbed at his hand. "What have you done to insure you don't get infected?"

"Infected?" he smiled in disbelief, but when he saw she was completely serious, he shook his head. "Listen, Bones. I'm fine, okay? Don't worry about it."

He watched as she considered his words and from the set of her jaw, he knew she was going to disagree with him. "Like Sweets said, if the situation were reversed, would you worry about me?"

Damn it. She had him by the holster there. In a last ditch effort to get her to stop looking at him like that, he shrugged a shoulder, biting back a groan at the way his ribs ached a bit. "I thought you didn't believe in psychology."

She didn't even offer an answer to that, and he knew he was sunk. "Okay, okay…" he eyed her as he stood up. "I'll go get my first aid kit, okay? Happy now?"

Lifting her eyebrows as if to suggest it didn't matter to her one way or the other, she nodded. Booth sighed and did as he said he would. And when he returned, he sat beside her on the couch, putting the kit between them.

"I'll do it," Brennan said, and he looked at her in surprise.

"I can clean up my own cuts, Bones."

"I will be better if I do it," she insisted and took out a cotton swab.

Booth stared at her face as she concentrated on her work. Her lips parted and her eyes narrowed as she dabbed the swab with some alcohol. And he couldn't quite look away when she met his gaze and moved to sit closer to him, taking his hand in hers.

"This may likely sting a bit, Booth."

"Yeah," he swallowed, admiring the line of her neck. "I know what will happen…ah!" he sucked in a breath through clenched teeth.

When she smiled at him in her knowing way, he couldn't help but smile back. "Nice t-shirt."

He watched as a soft blush crept against her cheeks, though if he hadn't been staring at her, he never would have heard the embarrassment in her voice when she shrugged a shoulder and kept working. "Angela gave it to me one year for my birthday."

Yeah, Booth mused to himself. That sounded like Angela.

But then he couldn't think about anything when Brennan's fingertips brushed against his chin. He watched her face as she examined his cuts and bruises. His cheeks softened at her caring touch, and it settled deep in his heart, much deeper than his surface injuries.

"I only wear it when I don't have much else to wear," she was saying, still tracing his cheeks and chin. Feather light and soft, she made it hard for him to concentrate on her words.

"Since we've been so busy, I'm rather behind on my laundry. I was doing that tonight, since I knew you were going to be busy," she continued. "And grocery shopping." Her eyes met his and she gave a slight admitting smile. "Which I was also behind on."

Booth couldn't help but smile in return, recalling their conversation from the night before when he'd talked her into getting Chinese food with him instead of going shopping. But his smile caused his tender bottom lip to split again, and he bit back a curse.

"Stop smiling," she chided, leaning in closer to examine his wound.

_Not possible_, he wanted to say, finding it also impossible not to inhale the soft scent of her perfume. Flowery and soft and mixed with powder and something else that both made him feel like a man and also a young boy. It made him feel like he used to when he was young and his grandmother's friends would squeeze his cheeks and make him pie. When the most beautiful women he knew were nice and had soft hands.

Her hands were very soft, his mind, body and heart realized, and he closed his eyes for a second against the incredible pleasure her touch invoked.

And when he swallowed and opened his eyes again, he saw she was watching him, a slight bend to her eyebrows the only indication that she might know what he was thinking. They stared at one another as she ran the soft part of her thumb around his eye before lifting another cotton swab and gently rubbing him clean.

When she was finished, they both were caught in a soft web of connection, invisible to the human eye, known only with the stirrings of two hearts twining together. Booth's entire body tightened when Brennan leaned toward him and gently pressed her lips to the sensitive skin near his eye.

His throat dried up and he both heard and felt her gasp as she pulled back. She quickly wiped some more alcohol onto a new swab. "The…" she cleared her throat but still sounded as raspy as his own heart felt. "The reason I did that was because…when I was a child and I was wounded, often times my mother would do that." She met his eyes for a second and Booth watched, stunned, as she looked away. "Though her rationale that kissing something would make it all better is not medically proven, I often found that I did feel better."

He couldn't help it; he had to touch her. His hand lifted and his thumb and index finger brushed against her chin. "Yeah…" it was his turn to clear his throat. "Uh, my mom used to do the same thing."

At the mention of his mother, her eyes widened in curiosity. And Booth watched, surprised, as her gaze caressed his face. From his position, he could see emotions flicker across her expression. But it still surprised him when he saw her eyes water for just an instant. And when a single tear spilled from her eyes, a fierce protective sensation rose up. "Bones," his voice was hoarse and low.

Her hands curled up between them and she moved back quickly, standing up. "I should…I should wash my hands. It's really important for my hands to be very clean. In fact, I should probably have put gloves on, and-"

"No, wait," he reached out with one arm and wrapped it around her waist, yanking her to him with a little too much force. She fell forward, her knees on either side of his hips, and their faces were really close. With his wounded hand, he reached up and brushed his thumb against her bottom lip. It was an intimate liberty he'd never taken before, but the way she'd cried…it had broken down all his defenses against his self control. "I don't want you to wear gloves. I just…I just want you. I…I like the way you care about me."

In the quiet of his living room, their eyes met and held, and then his gaze flickered to her lips. They were parted and close to his and he wondered if it would be okay to kiss her. In the back of his mind, he figured that maybe it would make her feel less sad. _All better_, he thought, as he gently rubbed his lips against hers. She gasped against his mouth and immediately, he needed more. She seemed to lean into his touch though they were not exactly kissing as much as just rubbing lips and breathing each other's air. When he felt the tip of her tongue skate out against his upper lip and then retract, Booth groaned, kissing her harder, needing even more. Brennan made a whimpering sound in the back of her throat and her body moved forward as her hands landed against his ribs. Booth groaned, though not in pleasure, as he sucked in a breath and his arm instinctively tightened as a shaft of pain rocked over his midsection.

"Booth," Brennan pulled back and sat at his side, concern covering her features as her fingers seemed to settle in his shirt. "What's the matter?"

He winced and tried to deflect. "Nah, nothing…I just…you know…got punched is all." His jaw tightened as her methodical fingers began to smooth over his waistline. "And…maybe kicked."

"Booth," she chided, though he heard nothing but affection in her voice. But when she began to pull his shirt all the way from his waistband, he started.

"Whoa, no, Bones. Trust me. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Booth…" she stared at him in the way she did that always made him feel about 10 years old at the library. _Oh shit, do not think about librarians right now._

"Booth…I need to see your injuries so I can ascertain what further medical assistance is needed."

"Medical assistance?" he groused. "Last time I checked, it didn't say MD after your name on your office door."

She didn't pay any attention to his words and instead began to loosen the tie around his neck. _No, not again…_

He grabbed for her wrists, biting back a wince at the way his knuckles still ached. "No, Bones…I can do it myself." Booth watched as her mind processed the fact that no evidence was available to potentially be compromised. As he lifted his tie over his head and began to unbutton his shirt, he wondered if she was going to fight him on it.

But she didn't. She merely stared at his progress. Booth wondered if she was as calm and cavalier as she appeared. And as he shrugged out of his dress shirt, he had his answer. Her blue eyes widened, and he felt a small sliver of pride at her admiration of his body. He certainly didn't work out for her benefit, but it was always nice when a beautiful woman appreciated his efforts.

But her interest turned to concern when he lifted his undershirt up to reveal a rather nasty looking bruise on his side.

"Booth…" her fingertips moved forward and brushed against him lightly. Booth groaned, and let her interpret it as pain. He'd take that over letting her know that her simple touch made him tight all over. Of course, if she just happened to look a few inches lower and to the side, she'd see exactly what he was feeling. That thought did nothing to stem the tide of arousal he felt just from her light touch.

"Lay back and let me look at you," she was saying, and with any other woman in any other circumstance, he would know it was a come on.

Hell, his cock thought it was a come on, and he grew an inch harder in his pants. It was not a good idea for him to relax on his couch. At least when he was sitting, he could hide his arousal.

But somehow, his thoughts were too jumbled to protest as she pushed on his shoulders, and Booth found himself staring up at his ceiling. He'd looked at it before when relaxing on this couch, trying to put together an answer for a case or thinking about baseball stats. But that was a world away from having his partner's professional fingers slipping over his side.

He heard her wince and lifted his neck up in time to see her examining the bruise on his side. It did look pretty nasty, and he had a feeling it was the kind of pain that would hurt even worse the next morning. Booth watched as Brennan's fingertips made it as far as they could go before reaching the waistline of his pants. She tugged them down a half an inch and the friction between his legs was subtle and torturous.

"Okay, Bones," he wheezed, lifting up onto his elbows. "That's enough."

But when she looked up at him, she had the same pained and stunned expression as before. He'd never seen such caring from another human and he was powerless to resist. And when she blushed, he knew she knew exactly what was happening to his body.

Surprised that she hadn't said anything about it, he couldn't look away as she continued her touch. And it was only when she began to work at his belt buckle and zipper that his mind processed what was happening. "What?" he sputtered, but one of her hands on his lower belly stopped him.

"Booth…" she bit her lip and let one of her fingers slip under the seam of his zipper, measuring the length of his erection. "I would like to do something to ease your pain."

"Uh," he tried to swallow, every nerve in his body centered against her fingertip. "You already have, Bones. I mean it, um…yeah, oh, jeez" he inhaled through his nose as another finger joined the first, this time sliding against the underside of his shaft. "You're a good nurse, Bones." _Except she's not a nurse; she's a doctor. She wants to play doctor. Oh shit, shit…do not even think that. Son of a bitch. _

"Your body is very tense," she explained, absolutely no guile in her expression. "It would benefit you to have an orgasm."

"I don't…I don't want to come for my medical benefit," he closed his eyes and ground his teeth together when her fingers folded down the waistband of his boxers and she kissed his chest. When she didn't do anything further, he opened his eyes again, wondering if she really was going to stop.

But her eyes were wide and honest. "Please, Booth. I want to help you." She swallowed then, and he noticed she was very sincere and not clinical. Her tenderness was his breaking point.

"Okay," he agreed, already feeling himself get harder, just from his own permission. "But on one condition. When I feel better, I'm going to…"

"Ease my pain?" she murmured, sliding his boxers down his hips.

Booth groaned in pleasure as his penis sprang free from confinement. He felt her hand wrap around him and he looked down his body to see her pale fingers moving. In his absolute ecstasy, he almost missed her question, but he caught the look in her eyes as she stroked him. "Do you have pain?" he swallowed.

Their eyes met and he knew his answer. He'd always known it, since their first fight ever. But her look of admission warmed him up. He trusted her more than anyone else in the world, and he knew she felt the same about him.

So when she gently lowered one of his feet to the floor and straightened his other leg out in front of him, he let her. And when she placed her knees on either side of his hips, he let her. And when she moved forward, letting her lips press against the tender skin near his eye once again, he let her, a groan rising from deep in his chest.

The soft fabric of her shirt brushed against his body, and he ached at the sensation. All of his nerve endings fired up when her mouth skimmed over his jawline and down his neck.

She kissed his chest and he felt her cotton covered breasts rub against his erection, the light touch making him desperate for more. His hips arched up; his foot on the floor gave him good leverage. And Brennan got the hint, moving further down his body until her lips hovered just over the part of him that really ached for her. Her eyes followed the twitching movement of his penis, and Booth thought he might come from the small smile that curved up one side of her lips. And then he really thought he might come when those very lips parted in a small 'oh' and she sucked on the tip of him.

"Oh. My. God. _Bones_," he rasped out, completely unable to look away as she made love…_yes, made love damn it_, to his body. "Mmmmmmm…" was all he was able to choke out.

He watched as she pulled off of him, his rosy tip stretching out toward her lips in protest. And he whimpered when she moved away, leaning down to press a kiss against his ribs and then another, her soft lips tracing the bruise on his skin. "Bones, please…" he lifted a hand, his fingers hovering just above her hair. "Don't torture me. _Please_."

"I won't," she promised, kissing a line up his straining shaft. And when she reached the sensitive head, she took him in her mouth again, beginning a wet up and down movement. _Anthropologists dig it deep. Oh yeah._

"Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh oh, oh…uh…oh…oh, uh, uh, Bones," he chanted over and over to the rhythm of the flat of her tongue around his penis.

This wasn't going to be one of those times where he won any awards for endurance. He tried to warn her by placing a hand on her cheek. And when she moved back and pressed a kiss to his palm before taking him in even deeper than before, he lost it. His fingers tightened on her shoulder and he squeezed as he came in her mouth. Any shame he might have felt washed away at the sound of her pleased murmur.

"I'm going to kiss you, Bones," he promised, his hips falling back against his couch cushions. "I'm going to kiss you all over, and I'm going to make you feel really, _really _good."

He blinked when she was suddenly looking down on him, and he watched as her eyes took in his expression. He could only imagine how he looked. Bruised, cut, and completely in love with her.

She bit her bottom lip and hesitantly kissed him. It struck him that she'd blown him away with these lips but felt unsure about kissing him. One of his hands rested against her back and she kissed him more deeply, their tongues tangling. His fingers slipped under her shirt and he realized she wasn't wearing a bra, just a tank top underneath. His hand cupped her breast, her soft skin soothing against his pain. Brennan moaned in his mouth and arched back.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said, and he almost laughed.

With his other hand, he slipped his fingers under the waist band of her sweatpants, finding her pantyless and warm and wet to his touch.

"Bones," he teased breathlessly. "Going commando at the grocery store."

She didn't even acknowledge his joke, her lips falling open as her hips twisted against his fingers. He didn't have the strength or energy to do what he should, pick her up and carry him back to his bed. But he could do this. He lifted up on one elbow and kissed her lips as his thumb worked at her clit. As quickly as he'd come in her mouth, she was coming against his hand, mewling against his lips. When she moaned and arched away from his hand, he eased his touch, noting her sensitivity. He smoothed the back of his hand against her belly before placing his hand on her back, bringing her down to him. It took some maneuvering, and he winced a few times, but he pulled up his boxers and got them situated on his couch, his arms around her and her hands resting on his bare chest. She reached for the blanket along the back of his couch and moved it over them. Booth murmured in pleasure, amazed at the way his day was ending.

"I suppose I can get groceries tomorrow," Brennan added, burrowing into his chest. Booth laughed at her joke, ignoring the pain in his side. Yeah, he was going to be sore in the morning.

But there was no one he'd rather be sore with.

**-b&b-**


End file.
